Skipper saves man, 22, in sea

Richard Halpin, 63, was out on his boat Fizzing when he overheard an emergency radio call at around 10am on Sunday.

He said: 'I heard it on the harbour radio announcing it to the lifeboat. I thought I'd better try and have a look and see what was going on.

'I could see a couple of guys standing on the beach waving right in the corner of the breakwater.

'A bit reluctantly, I went in there.'

When Mr Halpin got close he saw a 22-year-old man unconscious in the water.

He managed to drag him aboard where he regained consciousness.

Mr Halpin said: 'I got quite close and managed to grab his hand. 'It was quite choppy in that corner because the waves were slapping against the harbour wall and coming back at us.

'When I got him on board he was coughing and spluttering. 'I could not look after him very well. I motored out into safer water and then the lifeboat turned up.'

Newhaven lifeboat coxswain Ian Johns was full of praise for Mr Halpin's actions.

He said: 'We were just about to leave for our Sunday morning exercise when we received a 999 call from the Solent coastguard.

'They reported a swimmer in difficulty. Because it was on Channel 12 (a radio channel used for craft in a dive boat with one person on board overheard the conversation. He was already out there. 'He picked this chap out the water.

'We escorted the RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat] back into the lee of the harbour. We had our first aiders on there with oxygen.

'They found the bloke was semi-conscious and suffering from chest pains and vomiting blood. He had taken in a lot of sea water.

'Richard deserves some recognition for what he did.'

The boat was met by the ambulance and the man was taken to the Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton and released the following day.

The unamed man could be prosecuted for breaking harbour bylaws. Newhaven Port and Properties (NPP) is investigating to see whether he was tombstoning, a dangerous craze where people jump from a height into water without knowing how deep it is.

The breakwater was closed in early 2006 by owners NPP over health and safety fears.

Harbour master Doug Nye said NPP was considering bringing a private prosecution.